Bingo (I'm assuming you're talking about the call at first). The Braves wouldn't even have been in that position if Chipper didn't make that error earlier. Then, in his last at bat after a standing ovation by the crowd, he did not hustle at all down the line and was given a GIFT call by the first base umpire.

The awful call wasn't Selig's fault. The fact that the Braves, a clearly superior team, were in that situation to begin with is.

A team that craps away a do-or-die game the way they did, is not superior. They had the better regular season record, but when it came down to it, what happened? They have no one to blame but themselves.

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MRKARNO04-04-2005, 04:03 PM
I was a doubter, but maybe, just maybe we can win with pitching, defense and fundamentals.

I wonder what the reaction would have been here if instead of the Braves, it was the White Sox in the same situation. I do agree that the Braves put themselves in a bad position with 3 errors and a baserunning blunder. Still, a bad call took away a decent chance to get back in the game. Again, the umps have done MLB no favors in an important playoff game.

Bingo (I'm assuming you're talking about the call at first). The Braves wouldn't even have been in that position if Chipper didn't make that error earlier. Then, in his last at bat after a standing ovation by the crowd, he did not hustle at all down the line and was given a GIFT call by the first base umpire.

I like the play-in game better than the single wild card. One game between two teams that didn't win their divisions to give them a chance to make the postseason. Two teams that don't belong in the postseason getting one more chance because they came close -- although the Braves and Cardinals weren't even close to winning their divisions.

The Braves have no business blaming an umpire after getting to play at home and making multiple errors in multiple key situations to throw the game away.

I like the play-in game better than the single wild card. One game between two teams that didn't win their divisions to give them a chance to make the postseason. Two teams that don't belong in the postseason getting one more chance because they came close -- although the Braves and Cardinals weren't even close to winning their divisions.

The Braves have no business blaming an umpire after getting to play at home and making multiple errors in multiple key situations to throw the game away.

On the other hand, you seem like someone who wouldn't like the concept of divisions anyway--shouldn't the top four/five teams, regardless of division, make it to the postseason? Obviously, a truly balanced schedule would have to come about to make that fair.

On the other hand, you seem like someone who wouldn't like the concept of divisions anyway--shouldn't the top four/five teams, regardless of division, make it to the postseason? Obviously, a truly balanced schedule would have to come about to make that fair.

No. The baseball season is about the races to finish first. If you can't finish first, you don't belong in the postseason. You have only three divisions in each league, so you have to have a wild card, and I prefer the wild card play-in to a team that can coast into the postseason despite not contending for the division title.

And I like the idea that a team that blew a 5-game lead with 9 to play didn't just go into the postseason as a wild card. I thought it was great that the Rangers collapse was followed by a do-or-die game to qualify for the postseason.

If you don't have divisions, you have no reason to have a divisional series or a championship series to determine who will go to the World Series. You already have a league champion.